Newswise — PHILADELPHIA – Continuing its mission of high-quality patient care, cutting-edge research and innovation, and training the world’s doctors, Penn Medicine has announced it is expanding to the United Kingdom. The new Penn Medicine London will officially open today in the city’s Mayfair area. The initiative, the first of its kind for Penn, provides a path for UK and European Union (EU) patients to access Penn’s world-class experts and care through referrals and telemedicine, as well as opportunities for collaboration with UK medical schools.
“Penn Medicine has a long history – dating past the founding of our nation – as a global health care leader, and we are pleased to extend our reach with a physical presence in the UK,” said Ralph Muller, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “We have always been proud of our role in training the world, and this initiative advances that mission by opening new doors and forging new relationships both in the UK and across Europe.”
Penn Medicine’s expertise is especially highlighted by its role as global pioneers in new approaches to cancer treatment, particularly in personalized cellular therapies and proton beam radiation. Penn developed the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy, which was also recently approved by the European Commission (EC) for two aggressive forms of cancer. The approach has successfully eradicated blood cancer in hundreds of patients around the world, including in the UK. Studies show it leads to overall remission rates of 80 percent among acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients whose cancer could not be contained by the standard chemotherapies doctors have relied on for decades.
Penn is also home to many other “firsts” which have paved the way for modern medicine across the globe, from founding the nation’s first medical school to the world’s first x-ray and the discovery of the first gene linked to cancer. Each day, its physicians and scientists propel medical science forward, in hundreds of laboratories, and with mobile apps and big data.
“Penn Medicine London will provide enhanced access for patients seeking care from teams who are continuing to pioneer the next generation of prevention and treatment strategies for diseases of all kinds,” said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. “The initiative also provides opportunities for innovative collaborations between Penn and UK and EU medical schools, including research-focused projects as well as physician exchange programs, ensuring the world’s brightest medical minds continue to share ideas and learn from each other.”
To mark the opening of its first enterprise in the UK, Penn Medicine will host an event this evening in London for friends and partners to gather and learn more about what the institution will bring to the UK.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $7.8 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $405 million awarded in the 2017 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation’s top “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, a leading provider of highly skilled and compassionate behavioral healthcare.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2017, Penn Medicine provided more than $500 million to benefit our community.
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